How do you hold a smallmouth when removing trebles

[manjo39]

...

 

The smallmouth is laying peacefully in the basket net with the middle treble hooks of a 3" jerkbait in its mouth.

You grab the pliers. You try to unhook the fish with the pliers in the net without even touching the fish. Didn't work. Now you have to reach in lift the fish and remove the treble hooks without getting impaled yourself. Lipping the fish is dangerous because your thumb and fingers are very close to the trebles and you know the fish will try to shake off once lifted, whipping the treble hooks around. You can't get a good grip under the gill plate without touching the rakers and harming the fish. Can't get a good grip around the shoulders.

 

How do you hold the fish to remove the trebles?

 

 

[BillM]

I'd still lip it. I've never put a hook into my finger because of a lip hold even if the fish shakes...., it's always the body hold when they shake loose and end up digging the wrong end of the hook into your finger/hand.

[dhickey]

Man up and lip it ....

Have your pliers ready because they do help.

[kickingfrog]

Ya, I usually lip it and then use the pliers. Sometimes if there both sets of trebles are in the mouth I will hold on the hook with the pliers and then use my hand or a second set of pliers to remove the hooks.

[manitoubass2]

I just lip it. Just make sure you have a good grip and don't fidget if the fish shakes. I've caught a lot of smallies in my life and rarely do I have them shake once lipped

[timmeh]

Next time take the middle treble hook off, makes things easy for you and the fish. No need for 3 trebles on a bait that size.

[Lape0019]

Of it looks like it is going to be a tough job, I grab my Berkley lip grippers that I usually reserve for pike. They keep my hands away from the trebles and don't let go until I tell them to

[fishindevil]

I lip them anyways once you do lip them make sure you have a good grip !!!! Ya just gotta take your chances ....

[Paudash]

very carefully, I have cut out more than one hock out of my thumb

I find the ones between 1-1.5 lbs the worst as they thrash around the most

[steelhead75]

Next time take the middle treble hook off, makes things easy for you and the fish. No need for 3 trebles on a bait that size.

 

agreed i removed all my middle hooks especially on f-9 or bigger rapalas

[bigreddog]

Use the mesh of the net for grip to hold the fish. Hold the fish upside down to minimize thrashing.

 

If you need to pick the fish up directly, you can try to gain control of the lure first (if it is still outside the mouth), so that even if the fish moves, it can't whip the hooks around.

[sauce]

Sometimes just cradling a smallmouth by its belly is enough to get it relaxed so you can jam your thumb into a portion of its mouth that isnt loaded with trebles. Its pretty amazing just how relaxed a bass or walleye gets when handled by the belly.

[mike rousseau]

Over 3 lbs ill lip em...

 

Under 3 lbs seam to be the ridiculous ones... I just shake the hooks boat side with pliers if I can

[Richie Razor]

Lip em. It's the only way to do it quick and right. Just have to be extra careful, that's all.

[Governator]

They make 3" jerkbaits with 3 treble hooks? Sounds like a recipe for a wounded thumb.

 

If you don't have one, pick up a lip gripper as mentioned above (pike gear). Would pretty much solve your problem.

[OhioFisherman]

I always lipped them, LOL I even tried it one time on a muskie.

[Rich]

If it's a little one I just lift them by the lure, or lip with one hand hold the lure with the other. If the lure is stable the hooks wont go anywhere.